Information for Farmers on use of Biofertilisers

Farmers' Information

1. Organic Farming

Organic farming system is not new in India and is being followed from ancient time. It is a method of farming system which primarily aimed at cultivating that land and raising crops in such a way as to keep the soil alive and in good health by use of organic wastes (crop, animal and farm waste, aquatic waste) and other biological material along with beneficial microbes ( biofertilisers) to release nutrients to crops for increased sustainable production in an eco-friendly, pollution-free environment.

Component of Organic Farming

Basically organic farming components can be grouped into five categories.

a.	Green manures
b.	Crop rotation
c.	Organic manures ( farm yard manure, compost vermicompost )
d.	Bio pesticides
e.	Biofertilisers

Benefits of organic farming

a.	Helps in maintaining environment health by reducing the level of pollution
b.	Reduces human & animal hazards by reducing the level of residue in the product
c.	Increases the agricultural products and makes it sustainable
d.	Ensures the optimum utilisation of natural resources for short-term benefit and helps in conserving them for future generation.
e.	Saves energy for both animal and machine and reduces the risk of crop failure
f.	Improves the physical and chemical properties of soil.
g.	Besides the point given above, it has been demonstrated extensively that plan products from organic farming are substantially better in quality like bigger in size, look, favour and aroma. Animal products are to be better in quality when they are fed with feed and fodder produced organically. The underground water of the area where such farming system is in practice has been found to be free of toxic chemicals.

2. What is Biofertilizer?

Biofertilizers are ready to use live formulates of such beneficial microorganism which on application to seed, root or soil mobilize the availability of nutrients by their biological activity in particular and help build up the micro flora and in turn the soil health in general.

Nitrogenous biofertilizers harvest atmosphere nitrogen and converts into ammonical form, which in due course is made available to the plants or is released in the soil. Phosphate solutions solubilize fixed forms of phosphorus already present in the soil and make it available for use of plants. Compositing biofertilizers are used for hastening the process of compositing and for enriching its nutrient value.

3. Why Bio fertilizer ?

With the introduction of green revolution technologies the modern agriculture is getting more and more dependent upon the steady supply of synthetic inputs (mainly fertilizers) which are products of fossil fuel (coal+ petroleum). Excessive dependence of modern agriculture and the supply of these synthetic inputs and the adverse effects being noticed due to their excessive and imbalanced use has compelled the scientific fraternity to look for alternatives.

Some of the points of concern are:

(i) Availability and cost:

a.	Demand is much higher then the availability. It is estimated that by 2020, to achieve the targeted production of 321 million tones of food grain, the requirement of nutrient will be 28.8 million tones, while their availability will be only 21.6 million tones being a deficit of about 7.2 million tones.
b.	Increasing costs are getting unaffordable by small and marginal farmers.

(ii) Effect of Chemical fertilizers in soil and environment.

a.	Excessive and imbalanced use of chemical fertilizers has adversely affected the soil causing decrease in organic carbon, reduction in microbial flora of soil, increasing acidity and alkalinity and hardening of soil.
b.	Excessive use of N-fertilizer are contaminating water bodies thus affecting fish fauna and causing health hazards for human beings and animals.
c.	Production of chemical fertilizers adds to the pollution.

To overcome the deficit in nutrient supply and to overcome the adverse effects of chemical cultivation it is suggested that efforts should be made to exploit all the available resources of nutrients under the theme of integrated nutrient management. Under this approach the best available option lies in the complimentary use of Biofertilizers, organic manures in suitable combination of chemical fertilizers.

This Integrated approach of nutrient management not only ensures higher productivity but also ensures the good health of our soil and environment. Biofertilisers are essential components of this approach and are being promoted to harvest the naturally available, biological system of nutrient mobilization.

Benefits

a.	Increase crop yield by 20-30%
b.	Replace chemical N & P by 25 %
c.	Stimulate plant growth
d.	Activate soil biologically
e.	Restore natural fertility
f.	Provide protection against drought and some soil borne diseases.

Types of Biofertilizers

For Nitrogen
	Rhizobium for legume crops
	Azotobacter/Azospirillum for non legume crops
	Acetobacter for sugarcane only
	BGA and Azolla for low land paddy
For Phosphorous
	Phosphatika for all crops to be applied with Rhizobium, Azotobacter, Azospirillum and Acetobacter
For enriched compost
	Cellulolytic fungal culture
	Phosphotika and Azotobacter culture

Recommendations

a.	For pulses such as moong, urad, arhar, cowpea etc and legume oil seeds such as groundnut and soyabean use Rhizobium + Phosphotika 200 gm each per 10 kg of seed as seed treatment.
b.	For non legume crops such as wheat, sorghum maize, cotton mustard etc use Azotobacter + Phosphotika 200 gm each per 10 kg of seed as seed treatment.
c.	For Jute - Azospirillum + Phosphotika 200 gm each as seed treatment.
d.	Vegetables like tomato, brinjal, chilli, cabbage, cauliflower etc. use Azotobacter/Azospirillum + Phosphotika, 1 kg each as seedling root dip.
e.	Low land transplanted paddy Azospirillum + Phosphotika 2 kg each/acre as seeding root dip for 8-10 hrs.
f.	Potato, ginger colocassia, turmeric, sugarcane and zoom paddy-use Azospirillum/Azotobacter + Phosphotika 4 kg each/acre mixed with compost and applied as soil treatment.
g.	Sugarcane-use Acetobacter + Phosphotika 4 kg each/acre as seed set dipping.
h.	Plantation crops-Azotobacter _Phosphotika 4 kg each/acre with compost and applied in soil in two splits per year.

METHOD OF APPLICATION

Seed treatment :
Suspend 200 gm N biofertilizer and 200 gms Phosphotika in 300-400 ml of water and mix thoroughly. Mix this paste with 10 kg seeds & dry in shade. Sow immediately.

Seedling root dip:
For vegetables 1 kg each of two biofertilisers be mixed in sufficient quantity of water. Dip the roots of seedlings in this suspension for 30-40 min before transplanting.
For paddy make a bed in the field and fill it with water. Mix biofertilisers in water and dip the roots of seedlings for 8-10 hrs.

Soil treatment:
Mix 4 kg each of biofertilisers in 200 kg of compost and leave it overnight. Apply this mixture in the soil at the time of sowing or planting.
In plantation crops apply this mixture near root zone and cover with soil.

PRECAUTIONS

Store biofertilizer packets in cool and dry place away from direct sunlight and heat.

Use right combination of biofertilisers

Rhizobium is crop specific, so use in specified crop

Do not mix with chemicals

While purchasing ensure that each packet is provided with necessary information like name of the product, name of the crop for which intended, name and address of the manufacturer, date of manufacture, date of expiry, batch No and instructions for use.

Use the packet before expiry, only on the specified crop, by the recommended method.

Please remember

Biofertilisers are live product and require care in storage

For best results use both nitrogenous and phosphatic biofertilisers

Use of biofertilizers is being empasized along with chemical fertilizers and organic manures.

Biofertilizers are not replacement of fertlizers but can supplement their requirement.

For details write to the Regional Director, Regional Biofertilizers Development Centre, Department of Agriculture and Co-op. Govt. of India, Mantripukhri, Imphal, Manipur.